Riyaz Khaliq
March 02, 2020•Update: March 02, 2020
ANKARA
North Korea has launched "projectiles" past its coast for the first time in 2020, media reports said Monday.
According to a statement by South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), Pyongyang fired two unidentified short-range projectiles into the East Sea, Yonhap news reported.
North Korea had last fired two "unidentified projectiles" into the sea off its eastern coast on Nov. 28 -- the 13th time in 2019 that Pyongyang carried out any major weapons tests.
A top South Korean military official said the projectiles flew around 240 kilometers (149 miles), reaching a maximum altitude of around 35 km being launched at around 12.37 p.m. local time (0337GMT). It was not immediately clear whether the country’s leader Kim Jong-Un was present during the test fire.
Sanctions-hit Pyongyang had warned of "a new strategic weapon" early this year.
The South Korean JCS said that North Korea is "believed to be continuing its joint strike drill" referring to last Friday's military drill held under supervision of Kim.
"South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities are analyzing additional features [...] Our military is monitoring the situation in case of additional launches and maintaining a readiness posture," the JCS said, calling on North Korea to immediately halt such moves.
